Tim I. Gurung, Novelist & Philanthropist

From Nepal, now living in Hong Kong, welcome novelist Tim I. Gurung! The author of six published novels, Tim is announcing novels seven and eight to be released in 2015!  A world humanitarian, philanthropist and writer, Tim is a regular contributor to HKE Journal, as well as an avid blogger, and much more!

Tim writes, “Writing has always been in me; the joy and satisfaction I get from writing are not possible from anything else. I genuinely feel at home only when I am writing; it is an excellent gift the Almighty bestowed upon me and I cannot waste it. I needed to use it for good and I have no intention whatsoever to write for fame or fortune. I write for good, for society and for the people.”

Of your six novels, which is your favorite?

It is very hard to tell which one is my favorite; it is like asking a mother which of her child is her favorite. But I thought that my 3rd book A Tree called Tenalpa was a perfect novel, I tried to squeeze all the colors of people in this world in just one book with their problems and use tree as the allegory of the world. But the people might have different ideas, especially in the western world, the problems of racism and migration are old but here in Asia it is still new and persisting. 

Are your characters/storylines based upon your own life experiences?

All of my books are based on genuine issues, as I write on global issues, and my books are based on real issues. Of course, I create the story and characters out of my own, but the issues are real. I think by knowingly or unknowingly, we create characters mostly out of our own experiences, if you don't know them, it will be very hard to create a new character and in that case, it will not be justice to them. 

Who is your favorite character?  

I don't have any special liking or disliking to any of my characters, yes, some have true connection with your own life, but mostly they will go away from our mind as you will have new characters coming, and the strong feeling you did have while writing will eventually evaporate. So, I don't have such as favorite ones as I write it now.

You write to subsidize your charity foundation. What is your charity?  

I always wanted to do something that is more important and meaningful in life after I turned fifty, I simply didn't want to work for money and I always wanted to help others. My charity is called ISSLCARE Foundation LTD and it helps finance poor family in Nepal so they can send their children to school. I already started it with my home town, got eight schools involved and sponsoring 25 children as of now. My campaign will start expanding to other parts of the country and eventually cover the whole nation. That is the ultimate aim, as I don't accept donation or raise fund from others, the only way to help me is through my books and I have a plan of completing it during my lifetime.

Nepal

From Nepal, but now living in Hong Kong. Will you return to Nepal to live?

Yes, I live in Hong Kong now, but I have people in Nepal who can help me, I will create a team of my own in time as I grow and they will eventually complete my project. Of course, I will go there time to time, but definitely not for living.

The recent earthquake in Nepal left so many in need. Have you returned to see the damage?

It was a very unfortunate event, the earthquake has affected many people and more help is definitely needed to rebuild the nation again. No, I didn't go there, but I have friends and relatives who have been there and they kept us informed about all the details. It was a very sad event, many have lost their lives and livelihood and I am sure that my helps are much more needed in the coming future.

Describe your writing studio...

I just have a small room with a desk, computer and some books of my own. I still commute here as a day job, I still have to look after my son who is taking care of the family business and guide him if necessary. During the office hours, I do write, check my mails, run my charity and do other stuff.

Do you have a muse or driving force that fuels your creativity?

I think it is a gift for me from the almighty one, writing come very easily for me, luckily I don't have to use it for a living and I am doing it for as a pleasure or for a good cause, so, it is not a big deal for me and I just want to use this for good cause so it won't be wasted.

What are you currently writing?

I have already finished writing my 7th & 8th book, they are in editing phase now and I am writing my 9th book now. But due to marketing responsibility of my published books, I have to write a lot of articles, blogs, update social networking sites, and follow up my ads. Therefore, I am a bit busy now so writing my book has taken a backseat.

Who is your favorite author?

I don't have one as I am not crazy about it, but I like Marquaz, Rushdie and Murakami. I have read at least one book of all the Nobel Laureates but they seemed not that good as I had hoped for. 

What are you currently reading?

I have no time to read any books, I have subscribed 4 magazines and I have to find time to read them, and I am so much so busy with my other jobs at hand, I simply have no time to read any books.

Do you have advice for novice writers? 

Although I have written 8 books, I still think I am a novice here too, I don't have that much experiences on talking with outside world, not many want to talk with new and unknown writer and I am not sure if I am qualified to give any advice here. Anyway, I think writing is a very slow, long and assiduous road, you need a lot of time, money and patience to be successful and as the market is so much so crowded, it is very hard to differentiate good from the bad ones. Therefore, don't leave your day job yet before you really make it outside of your own as a writer. 

Connect with Tim…

http://timigurung.com/